Persons and property in the vicinity of a lightning rod can be protected by a lightning rod. A bare lightning rod is an electrically conductive object that is electrically connected to earth ground and protrudes vertically into the environment, a substantial distance above surrounding objects, thus attracting lightning that would otherwise strike nearby. The lightning rod provides a convenient path for the lightning stroke to ground. Protection from lightning can be enhanced if ionized gas is produced when a threatening storm cloud passes overhead. Ions from the ionized gas can cause the atmosphere around the lightning rod to become more conductive for the electrical current of lightning, thus encouraging a lightning stroke to hit the lightning rod, thereby reducing or eliminating the threat of a lightning stroke. Thus, it is advantageous, when protecting persons and property below a lightning rod, to generate ionized gas in the vicinity of a lightning rod whenever a storm cloud looms overhead.
The easiest and crudest way to produce ions is to point grounded sharp metal objects upwards towards a storm cloud. U.S. Pat. No. 357,050 for Lightning-Protector for Electrical Conductors to Vail discloses the use of grounded wire placed above items to be protected for the purpose of attracting lightning to the barbed wire as opposed to other structures in the vicinity, thus protecting other items in the vicinity of the barbed wire from lightning damage. The notion of discharging a charge form a pointed metallic body is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,479 for a Device For The Production of a Gaseous Stream Carrying Electric Charges to Larigaldie et al. where a needle is used to dispel charge from an airplane by creating a Townsend, or corona, discharge in the vicinity of the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,146 for Lightning Protector Assembly to Invernizzi states that an electrically conductive device positioned in the vicinity of a lightning rod point where the device is electrically isolated from the lightning rod and the ground conductor can produce electric discharge during a thunderstorm. Invernizzi suggests that improved lightning protection is achieved if an ionization is produced in the vicinity of the lightning rod point by the discharge of one or several electric arcs. This view is shared by Cage '526, Carpenter, Jr. '698, '527, and '678, U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,816 for a Lightning Conductor With Piezoelectric Device For Initiating the Corona Effect to Robert, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,900 for a Lightning Rod Construction to Arnau.
I have discovered that there exists a need for a lightning rod that produces a more sufficient and hence a much larger quantity of ions during a thunderstorm. I also believe that there is a need for a mechanism for guiding and directing ion streams produced by the lightning during the occurrence of phenomenon characterized by an increased risk of electrical discharge, such as thunderstorms.